Advertising guru Lee Clow recently tweeted: “Never ask a client what they want an ad to say. Ask what they want to accomplish. Then ask why. Repeat as needed.”
This wisdom can be applied to any communications strategy and projects – not just advertising.
Getting a client to articulate what they want to accomplish sets out clear goals and expectations and can spare both of you blind alleys.
It can also help you determine what communication tactics are best suited to achieve those goals. The client may want a speech, when in fact, an op-ed or a video on their web site would be better.
More than 30 years ago, Clow’s team was tasked by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with the launch of the revolutionary Macintosh personal computer.
And what did Jobs want to accomplish? The so-called agency “brief” for what would become the iconic 1984 commercial was, “I want to stop the world in its tracks.” He certainly did.